Jobs For The Boys

Whilst a ‘glass floor’ protects the children of higher income middle class families from any reversal in social mobility, the same cannot be said for the children from poorer working class families. What research from The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission reveals is that not only are the poor disadvantaged by a glass ceiling but their wealthier peers are less likely to fall through the trap door on the floor. The commission found less able, richer children were 35% more likely to become high earners than brighter, poorer peers.

That must be the kind of emphasis on social cohesion David Cameron keeps lecturing us about.

Here’s more from the BBC:

The report for the commission, which advises the government on social mobility issues, was based on a long-term study of 17,000 British-born children born in a single week in 1970 that measured their ability at the age of five….It said wealthier families helped their children accumulate skills valued by the labour market and they also used social networks to secure internships and employment. That meant poorer, but more able children were often blocked from the finite number of top jobs, it added.

The research suggests there is a clear correlation between the social background of a child’s grandfather and eventual labour market success.

The report also highlighted a “private school wage premium”, where recruitment to high-earning occupations is biased towards those educated in private schools.”